That big gust that blew across the bay Sunday had nothing to do with atmospheric pressure or the topography of the Bay Area. It was from a collective sigh of relief from Oracle Team USA.

Had the team organized by owner Larry Ellison and CEO Russell Coutts been defeated in the first four races of the America's Cup finals, they would have been figuratively and literally lost in the fog.

Instead, after allowing Emirates Team New Zealand to come from behind in a shoreside tacking duel in Race 3, Oracle took the nightcap in a heart-pounding race decided by eight seconds. That's about as close as sailing gets to horse racing's photo finish.

The Kiwis will take a 3-to-minus-1 series lead into Tuesday, the next race day. The U.S. started two races in the hole because of jury sanctions for illegal-weight violations in the America's Cup World Series.

Had Oracle been swept, it would have been deader than, well, outmoded software.

Delighted with the win and after a rousing reception from the crowd at America's Cup Park on Piers 27-29 near the finish line, Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill said his team was "fired up."

"We were disappointed with the first one - we had a great race, but it just slipped through our fingers," he said. The win, he said, was a sign of his crew's fortitude and "a real confidence booster for the boys."

A strong upwind leg in Race 3 was pivotal for the Kiwis, who were assessed the first penalty of the finals for interfering with the U.S. boat around the first turn. They won a tacking exchange on the shore side of the course to take the lead just past the midway point of the third leg.

In Race 4, Spithill got inside position at the start and won the sprint to the first mark by six seconds. Just before the second mark, though, Oracle's hulls hit the water hard on a turn.

The commentators on NBC's coverage speculated that Spithill might have pressed an incorrect button to adjust a daggerboard; he indicated it was a crew mistake.

"That was our only real crew-handling mistake since we started the regatta," he said. "The guys have been sailing the boat very well. It was an obvious mistake and put us under pressure straight away."

The U.S. overcame that hiccup and sailed an otherwise flawless race. On the windward third leg (out of five), tactician John Kostecki es- chewed a tacking duel with the Kiwis because they "seemed to be gaining a little bit on the tacks on us," he said.

"So we were looking to play the favorite's side, tacking where we wanted to tack, where we thought we'd have the fastest track up to the windward mark. It paid off for us."

After that leg, the U.S. led by 16 seconds, but the Kiwis were hot on its trail much of the downwind leg.

The second race was a "pretty average" performance by his crew, he said. Nevertheless, the race was extremely tight, so not an especially hard defeat to swallow, he said.

Schedule, photos Section AA

At a glance

What: America's Cup finals on San Francisco Bay

Next races: 1:15 and 2:15 p.m. Tuesday

Score: Emirates Team New Zealand, 3, Oracle Team USA, minus-1

Format: New Zealand needs to win nine points, or races, in the best-of-17 series. However, the U.S. was penalized by an international jury and needs to win 11 races, in which case the series could be extended to as many as 19 races.

Boats: 72-foot catamarans, 131-foot wing sails, 11-man crews.

TV: Channel: 11 NBCSN Replays will be shown on the America's Cup YouTube channel immediately after the live telecast.